Home / Authors / Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton Quotes

Actor

Billy Bob Thornton, born on August 4, 1955, is an accomplished American actor known for his versatile performances across various genres, from comedy to drama. His unique acting style and diverse roles have earned him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film 'Sling Blade'.

Filter quotes by topic

All Ifs People Knows Thinking Actors Want Years Mean Writing Character Kids Guy Tvs Directors Looks Bigs Film Kind Play Stars

Famous Billy Bob Thornton Quotes

“I know it's boring to say this but I always start with the script. I mean if it's well written and it's a character that I haven't necessarily played before.”

Ifs Knows Wells Mean Character Written Havens Scripts Boring Well Written

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“Usually when I'm writing, I kind of know what it is before I start writing and I write stream of consciousness style.”

Knows Writing Kind Consciousness Style Streams Stream Of Consciousness

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I don't know how to type so I handwrite everything.”

Knows Know How Type

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I'm not really a full-time director, I just like to direct the things that I write because I think I'm going to know it better than someone else.”

Thinking Knows Writing Directors Direct

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I always have an idea before we even start the movie because if you hire the wrong person, within a couple of days you're going to know that and you're going to be really panicked.”

Ifs Knows Persons Ideas Couple Wrong Person

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“The movies I've made about the South, they were my experience and it's something that I know.”

Knows Made South

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I think I fully commit myself to any role to the extent to which I can. In other words there's some roles that maybe it's just not there, in other words on the page. You know, I mean your job is you need to play the governor and that's what you do. I mean I'm not going to stay up all night if I'm playing a functional role. And I've played a couple of functional roles. And so I'm not going to do anything other, look he's a functional guy. He says hey mister, you forgot your hat.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Needs Looks Mean I Can Play Jobs Night Guy Roles Couple Pages Commit Hey Hats Governors All Night Up All Night

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“Heavy role in the movies that I've done that I have loved and fit my soul; A Simple Plan, Monster's Ball, Sling Blade, One False Move, Bad Santa even. I mean Bad Santa is a comedy, and it's a very dark comedy, and it's become like iconic, you know.”

Knows Mean Soul Done Moving Dark Simple Roles Comedy Plans Fit Balls Heavy Monsters My Soul Blades Santa Iconic Dark Comedy Simple Plan Bad Santa

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“So we are headed for a time when there won't be anything but movies that are essentially made like video games, and actors will become obsolete, and then the big stars will be people who live in Brentwood or wherever it is, and they have a show called, I don't know, "Pool Parties of Brentwood" or something like that.”

People Knows Made Shows Bigs Actors Games Stars Party Video Pool Obsolete Pool Party

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I don't like movies that are shot on green screen much, you know. I mean, I know that's the thing to do, and I know that it's getting. I'll put it this way; David Lean would probably kill himself, you know, again if he knew that people were watching Lawrence of Arabia on a telephone.”

People Ifs Knows Way Mean Shots Green Screens Things To Do Telephones Arabia Lawrence Of Arabia

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“When I saw that show Lost I learned something. Other than one sort of big dude if you're in an airplane crash only models survive. So you know sit next to somebody pretty, but anyhow.”

Ifs Knows Shows Bigs Next Lost Saws Models Airplane Crash Airplane Crashes

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I'm kind of sad and happy all the time. Just kind of like feeling, you know, full of life and confident, and at the same time terrified. I'm all of those things at once.”

Knows Kind Feelings Terrified Sad And Happy

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“We're not encouraging idols other than on the TV show, you know and that's the wrong way to do it. If we had become famous from a contest show we'd be embarrassed in my generation. But if that's the benchmark then I thought well young people who want to be filmmakers, or musicians, or whatever are screwed. But maybe they're not because what they're doing is they're creating their own thing.”

People Ifs Knows Way Want Wells Shows Young Generations Tvs Creating Musician Filmmaker Idols Embarrassed Tv Shows Contests My Generation Wrong Way

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“When I was growing up, when I was 11 years old I was listening to The Mothers of Invention. You know, I mean I was a Frank Zappa fan in Arkansas.”

Knows Years Mean Mother Growing Up Growing Fans Listening Invention Frank Arkansas Zappa

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“Television is making, there was in independent film renaissance late '80s through the mid-90's. It was an amazing time. Television is doing that right now. So that's why everybody wants to do it. I mean if you're writing stuff like, you know, Fargo, or True Detective, or any of these things that are on, Breaking Bad, there are no rules in television.”

Ifs Knows Want Writing Mean Film Stuff Television Like You Right Now Late Independent 80s Detectives Renaissance Independent Film Fargo

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“On TV you can, you know you can cram, you know, 30 people into a closet and have an orgy, and then they can all shoot up, and everybody has cigarettes in their nostrils and their ears. They don't care. So yeah, television is amazing right now.”

People Knows Care Television Tvs Right Now Ears Yeah Don't Care Cigarette Closets

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I'm an actor. I'm not a performer. I'm not like a song and dance guy who can take a cane and a hat and do it. I would just you know. That's why I never did commercials.”

Knows Guy Song Actors Hats Performers Song And Dance

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“People a lot of times say that you know it must be hard to direct yourself. That's a myth. It's easier to direct yourself. There's no middle man, you know.”

People Knows Men Hard Middle Easier Direct Myth

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“If you've written it you know exactly; whoever you're playing if you've written it you already know it. As a matter of fact, you've already made the movie if you wrote it. You've made it in your head.”

Ifs Knows Made Matter Facts Written Made It Matter Of Fact

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“You know, what's popular? Okay, vampires are very popular. Let me make my vampire movie. I'm not saying you can't make a vampire movie. But if you're going to do one do something crazy. I mean don't just get a bunch of, like I said, models and make them into vampires so you'll get an audience. You know maybe get some ugly vampires for a change.”

Ifs Knows Mean Said Audience Crazy Models Okay Let Me Ugly Bunch Vampire Very Popular Vampire Movie

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I mean the most important thing you can have as an actor, writer, director, or whatever you are, poet or whatever it is, is life experience. Life experience doesn't mean you have to live 50 years to have it. I mean you know a lot of people have huge life experience by the time they're in college.”

People Knows Years Mean Important Actors College Poet Huge Directors Important Things Life Experience

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I always say if you're going to do a movie about Charles de Gaulle get a Frenchman, you know. I'm not French. And yeah, sure I could get with a dialect coach and work for six months trying to talk like a Frenchman. But there's some French actors. Just get one of them, you know.”

Ifs Knows Trying Actors Months Six Yeah Coaches Six Months Dialect Frenchmen Dialect Coach

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“Robert Duvall taught me years ago. He said, "You know theatre is not real. I don't like plays." You know, he doesn't like plays. And I agree with him in certain ways, you know. They can be fun. I don't mind going to see them. I went and saw Phantom of the Opera. I thought hey, that's cool. Look at the mask and all that.”

Knows Way Years Mind Looks Said Real Play Certain Fun Saws Taught Years Ago Agree Theatre Hey Mask Opera Phantoms

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“Every couple I know has side-by-side grave plots, but when we do it we're the biggest weirdos on the block.”

Knows Sides Couple Graves Block Plot Weirdo

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“They always say 'Is there going to be a sequel to Bad Santa?' and you know, I mean, a long time ago they would talk about, you know, we're going to do a sequel to that but it was never serious. And they said 'Would you do it?' and I said out of all the movies I've done, that was a lot of fun, and maybe I would do a sequel if it ever came up and it made sense, but I said I don't think that's ever going to happen.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Mean Long Made Said Done Happens Fun Serious Long Time They Said Santa Long Time Ago Sequels Bad Santa

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“If you love somebody let them know every day.”

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“Directing is a big responsibility to take on. I think I'm only good at doing things I know very well. I don't direct movies because I get offered the new vampire movie or science fiction movie. I don't get offered those, anyway, but if I did, I would just tell 'em, "Look, I'm the wrong guy." I only do things about people and situations, and I do the ones that I think I'm the best guy for the job on, which is usually something I generate myself.”

“You want to know the hardest thing about being smart? What? I pretty much always know what's going to happen next; there's no suspense.”

Knows Want Happens Next Smart Hardest Suspense Hardest Thing Being Smart

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I know that I loved music before I loved movies, simply because I didn't see movies as a kid.”

Knows Kids Music Is

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“We don't shoot in L.A. much anymore. You know, TV and movies, most everything's shot other places.”

Knows Tvs Shots

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“I think my stuff's kind of obsolete now, you know? I'm making Model Ts or something, and everybody else is making spaceships.”

Thinking Knows Kind Stuff Models Obsolete Spaceships Model T

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“You have to really know what you're saying.”

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“You never know what an audience is going to think about something. The ones that the audience doesn't get, I tend to let them go. I don't like to dwell on them too much.”

Thinking Knows Audience Too Much

Author:Billy Bob Thornton

“Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning. It's about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn't let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn't one more thing you could've done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentleman - you're perfect!”

About the Author

Born: August 4, 1955
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 167

Related Topics

Ifs People Knows Thinking Actors Want Years Mean Writing Character Kids Guy Tvs Directors Looks Bigs Film Kind Play Stars

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Similar Authors

Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Clint EastwoodBrowse related quotes
Zach BraffBrowse related quotes
Christopher WalkenBrowse related quotes
Dolly PartonBrowse related quotes
Robert PattinsonBrowse related quotes
Jack NicholsonBrowse related quotes
Sylvester StalloneBrowse related quotes
Quentin TarantinoBrowse related quotes
Angelina JolieBrowse related quotes